Massaging device



May 6, 1930. A. RIETH 1,757,060

MASSAGINGDEVICE Fld Aug. l, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Cal

Patented May 6, 193()Y .l 'il l y UNITED STATES PATENT'oFFlcE-f ALBERTRIETH, F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND i/uissiicrmcry kDEVICE Applicationfiled August 1, 1927. Serial No; 209,827.

massaged, as well as the usual rubbing action l 1,5 of the roller.

A further object of my inventionvis to pro` vide, I believe, for thefirst time a massaging roller flexible substantially throughout thelength thereof, so that it may iex to be adjacent to the human memberbeing massaged substantially throughout the length thereof, therebyinsuring maximum contactof the roller with the surface being massaged.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for mountingmassaging rollers in devices of this description.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a massaging devicesimple in construction and efficient in its action.

These and such other objects of my invention as may hereinafter appearwill be best understood from a description of the accompanying drawingswhich illustrate embodi- A ments thereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan View of a massaging device constructedin accordance with the principles of my invention .closed in unusedposition.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with the rollers,

and gripping means therefor expanded around a human member, showing howin use the device may be manually compressed to exert a radial pressingaction as wellas a rubbing action on the member being'masr saged.'

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation par# tially shown in section ofan individual roller with its preferred type of mounting means.

Fig. 4 is an end view taken along the line a-i of rig. a

Fig. 5 ,is a fragmentary view of a modified form of my invention wherein`each handle section thereof carries aplurality of rollers.

In the drawings, `wherein like characters of reference indicate likeparts throughout, 10 generally indicates my improved massagingdevice. 12indicates suitable massaging Y rollers.` While any type of massagingroller -may bei employed, having the usual massaging protuberances 14thereon,"I4 preferably employ a massaging r-oller flexiblevsubstantially throughout its length to permita maxi-v mum amount ofcontact against the periphery of the usual, curved surface beingmassaged; As'massaging rollers are so well known in the art and as anyof the well known types of Vmassaging protuberances may be employed, inAthe claims I merely refer to these elements 12, as massagingV rollers.

As shown in Fig. 2, I provide handles or gripping means 16 adapted tocompress the rollers radially .inwardly lon `opposite-sides of thehumanV member being Vmassage'd. While the preferred embodimentof'myinvention is constructed of a size to normally massage a usualhuman arm or leg, it isob-y vious that it may be constructed of a sizeto fit around the torso or any'other human member. The gripping`V means16 in my preferred embodiment comprises the handlel sections 18, havingtheir outer ends suitably pivoted together as at 20and having mountingmeans- 22 for the 'rollers at their inner ends. While any suitable'typeof an axle or other mounting means may be employed for mounting saidrollers on the handles thereof, I preferably employ the novelmountingimeans about to be described. A's more clearly shown in Fig. 3,I preferablyconstruct said massaging rollers 12 hollow and I insert ineach hollowend thereof a ball bearing race 24, which may, if desired, besuitably clamped or otherwise attached withinthe hollow end 26 thereofand I mount within said ball'bearing race the innerend 28` of a trunnion30 adapted to have the outer end k32 thereof vproject, through asuitable mounting hole 34 in the inner end of the han'dle 18 and befixedly secured thereto by the nut 36.y As showniin Fig. 3, the ballbearing race 24 withV attached trunhuman member 5() desired to bemassagedV ,and thehandle sections 18 compressed together by means ofthel1andsf52 functioning onthe handles on opposite ends of my 'device.The device may then be-rolled as usual over the surface of the memberdesired to be massaged and it is apparent that I have'secured a radiallycompressing action', ras Well asthe usual rubbing. action, therebygreatly stimulating the circulation `ofthe' blood' and v vhaving otherbeneficial effects upon the per- Y sonl bei-ng massaged. kAs stated, asthe improved type of roller, which Iy preferably employ,v is flexiblesubstantially dthroughout its lengthJ it readily -bendsfas-shownv inFig. 2 toprovide optimum-amount of contact with the-surface-beingmassaged.

It is understood that my",V invention is not` limitedtothe-speoificembodiment shown and that various deviations may be made therefromWithout departing from the spirit and scope-of the appended claims.

WhatI claim is: v; f Y n 1.A massaging device comprising `cylinbers, amassaging rubber roller of general cylindrical shape flexiblesubstantially throughout the length thereof and having massagingprotuberances on the outer periphery thereof and of a length capable ofpartially encompassing said human member and handle means attached toeach end thereof for applyin'g the same to said human member.

In testimony whereof I afix-my signature.

ALBERT RIETH.

drical flexible massaging' meansand hand-les' for` each end thereof,each comprising two members hinged together at their-,outer ends andhavingv mounting lmeans for the `ends of the massaging means at theirinner ends? l 2. ,A massagmgjdevice comprising'aplurality of flexiblemassagingli-'ollers and handles foreach end -thereof,`ea'ch comprisingltwo members hinged together at their outer'ends and ha-ving mounting-means for thefends ofthe rollers at their inner ends.

3;,A massaging device comprising tivo flexible massaging rollers,.ftrunnions therefor at each end thereof andlhandles foreach end thereofeach comprising' two members hinged together at their outer-ends andhaving mounting means yfor said trunnions at their inner ends.

4. In a massagingdevice,fa rubber hollow*- roller of .flexible material,'having massaging protuberances on theouter periphery thereof, Val ballbearing race mounted Within-each hollovs7 'end thereofiandy atrunnionprojecting outwardly from each-ball bearing race adapted'to befixedly secured lto a handle to permit revolution of said* roller onsaidraces.

5. In a massaging-f device for human memlil 0

